Who is Prince Archie of Sussex and why is so little known about him?
Son of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle turns seven with rare picture being shared
Prince Archie of Sussex is the sixth in line to the throne as the eldest child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, but unlike his cousins on the succession list, he is almost unrecognisable.
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The prince turned seven on Wednesday, May 6, and his mother marked the occasion by sharing a photo of him and his younger sister, Lilibet, four, walking along a beach.
She also shared a picture of Prince Harry holding a baby Archie at the time of his birth, and captioned it: "Seven years later… Happy birthday to our sweet boy."
Last month, she shared a video of her son skiing down a slope alongside Harry while she marked Easter by sharing photos of Archie and Lilibet enjoying an egg hunt.
However, in all of the photos, the faces of both children cannot be seen. This contrasts with Prince William and Princess Catherine's three children, Prince George, Princess Catherine, and Prince Louis, who are regularly snapped alongside their parents.
This is what we know about Prince Archie and his situation.
Who is Prince Archie of Sussex?
Prince Archie was born as the first child to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as the seventh in line to the throne - but is now sixth after the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Meghan and Harry moved to California in 2020, after initially setting up home in Canada following their departure from the UK, and now live in Montecito with Archie and Princess Lilibet, who was born in 2021.
The Duchess of Sussex stepped back from being a senior working royal for a new life in the US when Prince Archie of Sussex was 10 months old.
He is now growing up in the US and has been granted relative privacy.
When was Prince Archie of Sussex born?
Prince Archie Harrison of Sussex was born at 05.26am on Monday, May 6, 2019, at Portland Hospital in London.
He has the notional surname of Mountbatten-Windsor, like all of his royal relatives, should he need to provide one.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were introduced to their eighth great-grandchild at Windsor Castle on May 8, two days after his birth.
Notice of the birth was announced with a traditional easel for public notification outside Buckingham Palace.
Why are there so few photos of Prince Archie?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have opted to keep their children away from the public eye, instead choosing to let them grow up with their privacy.
Meghan has shared some images of her children on Instagram over the years, but often keeps their faces hidden or partly hidden.
There have been very few photos of him since the pair left for the US, although an image that is thought to have been shared on a Christmas card has circulated on social media.
Did the King meet Archie on his US trip?
The King and Queen did not stop in California to see their grandchildren as part of their US tour, which saw them attend a state dinner with Donald Trump.
It is unclear how much contact the monarchs have with their younger grandchildren.
A source told the Mirror: “When the Sussexes came over for the Queen’s jubilee and attended Trooping the Colour, a senior royal figure made it very plain that the King was thrilled to spend time with his grandchildren.
"There were hopes at that stage that things could be improved, but sadly that’s not how it’s worked out and there've been quite a few setbacks since then.”